Band:	Glacial Tomb
Album:	Lightless Expanse
Style:	Blackened death metal, Blackened sludge metal
Release date:	September 20, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Stygian Abattoir
02. Voidwomb
03. Enshrined In Concrete
04. Abyssal Host
05. Sanctuary
06. Seraphic Mutilation
07. Worldsflesh
08. Wound Of Existence
09. The Lightless Expanse

Will Glacial Tomb manage to reach the light after venturing further through the Lightless Expanse? Whether they do or not, you can expect to find them in unsettling territory.

Glacial Tomb are a blackened sludge/death metal band formed by Ben Hutcherson (guitars/vocals) and Michael Salazar (drums) in the US in 2016. The band released their full-length self-titled debut Glacial Tomb in 2018, an album which merged multiple genres from across the extreme metal spectrum such as sludge, death, and black in an unprecedentedly heavy and uncomfortably dissonant fashion. Now, the band return 6 years later to present their cosmic horror-based sophomore Lightless Expanse, an album promising to expand beyond the unsettling cosmic horizons set by their solid debut effort. But will this live up to, or even surpass, the standards of that debut?

Much like the debut, Lightless Expanse, offers a relatively short runtime of 36 minutes, which, I can tell you, feels much longer due to the album's complex songwriting. The structure throughout each song is highly unpredictable; the constant blending of genres mean you never really know what will hit you next, be it sludge, disso-black, various forms of death from technical to OSDM, or even hints of technical thrash. The guitar work constantly intertwines between sharp, dissonant, blackened tremolos and heavy, slogging sludge to slamming OSDM-style riffs, with ferociously technical leads and a few traditionally melodic shredding solos thrown in.

The tempo ranges from heavy, sludgy mid-tempo slogs, with sudden outbursts of lightning ferocity, to short, intense build-ups that end with almighty, powerful breakdowns. The rhythm section is constantly powered in hyperdrive mode, with drumming ranging from stylish to rapid blast-beats, complementing groovy to ultra-technical bass lines, and mid-tempo, pummelling, thunderous pounds complementing a crushing bass tone. Even the vocals aren't one-dimensional, as they constantly alternate between high-pitched, blackened shrieks and deep, gnarly death growls. All these elements are featured throughout each of the 9 tracks, none of which even reach the 5-minute mark.

Imagine being trapped in a never-ending labyrinth with endless chambers that twist and turn only to end up leading you in circles. The longer this goes on, the more you begin to lose your mind, your anxiety only increases as the instrumentation starts to feel more and more claustrophobic, while the instrumental layering and constant intensity makes this an overwhelming and unsettling listening experience for sure. "Sanctuary" being a prime example of this structural nightmare, which I can only say is used as a metaphor, for it's anything but a "sanctuary" approach. However, the bass solo comes as a surprisingly welcome addition to the song. "Worldsflesh" could easily be used as soundtrack for a menacing sci-fi horror, with evil, sludgy opening slogs, Earth-shattering bass, leading to sharp, blackened, dissonant riffs, and wailing technical leads in the latter stages.

Glacial Tomb are certainly on the right path to becoming one of the most interesting and exciting bands on the extreme metal spectrum. Their unpredictable structural approach and complex songwriting by which they blend such a wide variety of genres and elements is remarkable. If you thought Glacial Tomb's debut was an unsettling listening experience, then Lightless Expanse exceeds on all levels. It's by no means an easy listen; it may even take multiple spins to even grasp what's going on here. You can even say it's easy to lose your mind within its overwhelming dissonant structure, but there are more than enough satisfying moments that even the easiest listening metalhead can't miss and will likely appreciate. If this is referring to you, or if you didn't think highly of the debut, then chances are you could well warm to this second release more than you'd expect.